COMMUNITY COUNCIL FOR AUSTRALIA

We are an independent member-based peak body dedicated to building flourishing communities by enhancing the extraordinary work of Australia’s not-for-profit sector. We do this by changing the way governments, communities and the not-for-profit sector relate to one another.In particular, this includes establishing a regulatory environment that works for community organisations - not against them. Find out more...

Latest News

CCA, with the support of partners Origin Foundation and PwC Australia brought together 30 leaders in the first Australia We Want Solutions Forum in Melbourne on 2 August, 2017. This exceptional gathering of change-makers and thought-leaders focused on the #AusWeWant measure of educational attainment, an indicator for the #AusWeWant value of equal opportunity (and of course with relevance across other values).

This Community Council for Australia (CCA) submission briefly outlines some of the key issues for Australia’s not-for-profit sector in response to the Productivity Commission Inquiry Into Introducing Competition And Informed User Choice Into Human Services and the Draft Report May 2017.

Begin with what the policy is trying to achieve – what is the goal of DGR concessions?

The goal of the DGR process should be to encourage community involvement, engagement and ownership of issues they are concerned about. Encouraging civil society to own their issues of concern is not only good public policy, it is very good economic policy. Governments around the world acknowledge the benefit of community involvement and actively seek to promote philanthropy.

If the charity sector accepts government restrictions on its public voice, it will be a sad day for Australian democracy and it will mean that free speech is for sale in Australia, writes David Crosbie, CEO of Community Council for Australia in Pro Bono News, 20 July 2017:

We are inviting your interest in a CFO Roundtable with Treasury in Melbourne (20 July) or Sydney (21 July).

At hand is an important issue that could affect capital flow into the sector: Treasury are considering the implications of changes to the treatment of ancillary fund loans and other forms of investment to DGR charities.

Latest News

Tim Costello talks about the mess of fundraising regulation that is costing millions. We can fix it now. With minor amendments to the Australian Consumer Law and the work of the ACNC.

Consumer Affairs Ministers are meeting on 31 August. It's time for regulation that works. Improved accountability. Improved transparency. More money going to work for communities. ABC News 24, 30 August 2017:

It's time to fix the out-dated, dog's breakfast of fundraising regulation that wastes millions.

It can be done. With simple amendments to Australian Consumer Law.

Consumer Affairs Ministers are meeting on 31st August 2017. The opportunity for real change is there and needs to be seized. Charities want to do the right thing but the rules work against them. With one fundraising regime as part of Australian Consumer Law, the problem can be fixed. Let's fix fundraising. Now.

Mike Seccombe reports that the government is waging a multifaceted campaign to reduce the influence of charities, requiring disclosure of how donations are spent, seeking to ban electoral campaigning if overseas funds are received, and choosing not to renew the tenure of the respected head of the sector’s regulatory body.

There is much our current leaders could learn from the views of Australia’s longest serving prime minister, Sir Robert Menzies about how to make Australia a better place, writes Community Council for Australia CEO David Crosbie in Pro Bono News, The Forgotten People, 17 August 2017.

Recent events in Australian politics have focused attention on internal divisions within the Liberal party and how differing ideologies play out in government policy.